Listen to Rush’s Geddy Lee Sit in With Canadian Indie-Rock Band

Wintersleep had a thought that's probably crossed many people's minds when faced with a musical dilemma: "What would Geddy Lee do?"

In this particular instance, the Nova Scotia-based band had a song – "Territory," which you can listen to above – that "didn't feel as live as it should in the end," singer Paul Murphy told Rolling Stone.

So Wintersleep gave the Rush legend a call. "Producer Tony Doogan said, ‘Oh, the best bass player in the world? He'd make it incredible. Why don't we just ask him?'" Murphy remembered.

On a break from other projects after Rush closed out what could be their last major tour, Lee liked what he heard, so he came on board for the session. “I had a listen and loved the song and the vibe of the band," Lee said. "I had a blast laying down a bunch of takes and sent them off to them. I’m happy to support a fellow Canadian band and wish them all the best with their new album.”

As you can hear, Wintersleep's indie-rock tune – part of their upcoming albumThe Great Detachment, due on March 4 – takes on a completely new vibe. ("Territory," by the way, has no relation to the Rush track "Territories" from 1985's Power Windows.)

“Geddy's part was perfect because it had this great groove and locked into the vocal melody in the song from time to time, bringing more weight to the melody in important spots," Murphy noted. “It added a certain playful dimension to the equation because it's so dynamic. Also, Tony was able to strip the song down more in the mix in sections because the bass had such a neat character and fuller sound, which was huge for the song dynamically.”